Dear Editor,

If anyone didn’t read the paper on March 28, he missed a very true letter to the editor written by the Rev. Roland Ritchie. It is getting so you aren’t ever safe on the streets anymore. Why? Because they don’t have stiff enough penalty for crimes such as murder, dope and stealing. These people who do these things go to jail or prison and think they ought to live as good, if not better, than the ones who try to live a decent life. Half of them have a better place in jail than they do at home. So why do they care what they do?

It’s just like these welfare people. I don’t mean the real people who need it. I mean these young punks who won’t work because the job isn’t good enough for them, or they don’t have the education. If this isn’t baloney, what is? And when a mother who has been on welfare goes to work, welfare pays to have her children taken care of. Why don’t you other mothers rebel? I should have done this when I was bringing up my family alone.

Of course at one time welfare was a disgrace. Now it’s a disgrace if you aren’t on welfare. Wonder how much more taxes we will have to pay since the welfare people are going to get more money?

They say it will hurt the budget. So who will pay? The working people. It’s the same old story. The big shots getting richer, the welfare people living in luxury, and us poor suckers caught poorer and having less. Now, isn’t this true?

What tickles me the most is when they say people don’t have education enough to work at a job. Well, then how do they learn to spend money the way it should be handled: They get a check, they sign their name, know how to buy cigarettes and booze. I guess this doesn’t take many brains.

Mildred Law

Norwich

April 5, 1974